Darkness's Own
by Anti-Social Lemming
Summary: "Mother Nyx! Brother Thanatos! Claim me now as you wished to in ages past!" Duo cries in the middle of a storm. He is borne away on lightning's back to face the fight that he had fled from those many years ago. ~Fusion w/ Greek mythology
1. Chapter One

Title: Darkness's Own  
  
Author- Anti-social Lemming  
  
Date- it was started a LOOOOOOONG time ago, but my computer died, and with it, ten pages of fic. So I restarted it September 26.  
  
Archived- Fanfiction.net  
  
Notes- If anyone reads this and has any questions or corrections on anything I've written, just write me. I need the boost to get my lazy butt off my bed and typing. If you think this is terrible, tell me. Assist me in fixing the many errors and junk. Well, yeah. The whole point of this note thing was for me to say that this has a lot of mythology stuff that I have mutated and dissected that may or may not make sense. My apologies ahead of time. -_-;;; that made no sense whatsoever.  
  
Another note- I really rarely update, so don't expect anything out soon.....  
  
//italics which are usually thoughts.......//  
  
*emphasis*  
  
flashbacks obviously are flashbacks...  
  
1 Chapter One  
  
The night sky was cloaked in dark, angry clouds, now and then interrupted with a bright slash of lightning. Rain poured from the skies in sheets, drenching the empty streets. The sewers greedily drank down the water flooding the gutters, making an ominous sucking sound as the torrent in the tunnels raged.  
  
Duo stormed out of the library, leaving a bewildered Quatre behind. The blonde had a look of complete confusion. However, it was not to be unexpected, due to the braided boy's abrupt exit. He had been researching mythology, as it was a topic of great interest to him. At Duo's urging, he had explained what he had found on the ancient myths of Greece. When he had begun to tell about Night's children, Duo's face had become a mask of barely contained fury.  
  
Hesitantly, Quatre had asked what was wrong. Although Duo claimed that nothing was wrong, he knew that there was something… He was telling about Thanatos, Death, when the braided boy jumped to his feet and grabbed the sheet of paper the notes were on. Striding towards the door, the chestnut haired twenty-three year old crumpled it up.  
  
//…And from Nyx came Thanatos, Death, with his twin brother Hypnos…// Duo thought mockingly, fists clenching. Death… His lips twitched upwards into a mockery of a smile. //And yet they never tell about the little repeat brother. The little outcast… The lovable newborn god… Shinigami…// Duo completely ignored the peal of thunder as he sloshed through the wet streets, remembering…  
  
  
  
Flash back  
  
"It cannot be!" The harsh voice of Thanatos broke the silence. He glared at the messenger, who wilted under his glared. With an abrupt movement, he gestured for the timid young man to leave. The raven-haired god snarled as he summoned a chariot to take him to up Olympus…  
  
…And his new brother…  
  
Thanatos's obsidian black eyes glanced coldly at the seemingly nine- year-old boy in the corner of the room, playing with Hypnos and two goddesses. The red centers of his eyes were focused on Nyx, Night, who was also his mother.  
  
"Is it true, Mother?"  
  
"Yes." Her voice was as cold and hard as steel. "Shinigami is the God of Death."  
  
"But- but… How?! I was born as Death! How is he—" Thanatos began to sputter. He didn't believe the rumors; he needed them confirmed… But for it to be true! It was preposterous!  
  
"I don't know." Nyx's voice was calm. When her son began to object, she held up a pale, delicate hand. "We both know that it is impossible for there to be two gods of the same… subject… and that there would surely be war over the position. And yet, here he is. The newly born Shinigami. The. God. Of. Death." She enunciated each word, her cold gray eyes staring directly into Thanatos's black and red ones.  
  
"What am I to do?"  
  
"What is there to do?" She replied. "He will be fully grown by tomorrow night. By law, you two are to battle each other for possession of the rank." When the woman saw the anticipatory gleam in his eyes, she laughed. "But don't think that he will be easy prey. His powers have the potential to far surpass your powers. Maybe even outrank all of us." At Thanatos's skeptical look, she smiled dangerously. "He was born one day and three hours ago."  
  
"But he looks to be only nine!"  
  
"Exactly. Everyone knows that the strongest ones grow the slowest. It has to do with the power being able to develop with the body. If one grew faster than the other, the slower might stop completely. Imagine being stuck in a boy's body, yet with all the powers of an adult? Helpless. Imagine being stuck as an adult, but with a boy's power? Weak. They must grow together."  
  
"I know.. I know… But the day after I was born, I was fully grown."  
  
"It was twenty hours after you were born."  
  
"True. But Shinigami has been aging at only one year every three hours. I grew a year and a quarter every hour! And I am one of the strongest gods!"  
  
Nyx smiled. "And yet, the power will not be fully manifested until tomorrow night. He will be quite weak for a while yet." Her lips stretched into a malevolent grin.  
  
"I see." Glancing into her eyes, he smiled. So the boy will be weak for a while yet. I will merely.. dispose… of the threat, and my position shall be secured.  
  
end flashback  
  
"Uh... Hi. Is, uh, Heero Yuy there?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Can I uh... talk to him?"  
  
"Sure. Hold on."  
  
"Yuy here." The voice was brusque and slightly nasal.  
  
"Hey, Heero."  
  
"Quatre," he said as a reply.  
  
"Yeah. By any chance... do you know if anything is wrong with Duo?"  
  
"Such as?" His voice had an undertone of concern.  
  
"Well. Like, he ran out of the library with me today."  
  
"So?"  
  
"He looked... well... furious..."  
  
"About..?"  
  
"I don't know. We were talking about mythology, then he stomped off."  
  
There was silence.  
  
"Heero?"  
  
"What mythology? Greek? Death? Possibly the children of Nyx?" Heero asked, each question a bullet to the brain.  
  
"Y-Yeah.. How'd you know?"  
  
"I didn't." He hung up.  
  
Into the beeping phone, Quatre said wearily, "Yeah, bye, Heero."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Duo continued to walk in the middle of the street, the rain pelting him with its tears. The streetlights caused his dim shadow to lengthen, then disappear into the spaces between lights. He stopped, standing in the center of the desolate street. With a movement of finality, he thrust his head back and spread his arms, arching his back slightly. He closed his eyes, then opened his mouth to let the droplets of rain fall into his mouth.  
  
A streak of lightning flashed and a leaf-less tree toppled over, missing the figure in the streets by a foot.  
  
The braided boy smiled, then put his arms back down and opened his eyes. He reached behind him for the soggy mass of hair, then pulled at the tie holding it in place. With his fingers, he brushed his hand through the wet tresses, fingers catching, then untangling the knots.  
  
He shook his head once, letting the brown cascade down his back.  
  
"Mother Nyx! Brother Thanatos! Claim me now as you wished to in ages past!" He called, his arms outstretched towards the sky.  
  
A bolt of lightening flashed down from the sky, eveloping his body in a bright light. It lingered for a moment longer than it should have, glowing in that split second. When the light faded away, the street was empty.  
  
The rain continued to fall. 


	2. Chapter Two

Title: Darkness's Own

Author: Anti-social Lemming

Date Written: 4.27-5.27 (no, it doesn't really take a month for me to write two pages. I just get lazy. -_-;;;)

Date Posted: 5.28.02

Warning: Violence, later on (I'm planning on it at least). Possible m/m relationships. Warning to those who respect Greek mythology, I've stolen the general gods and goddesses, but they are now subject to my own whims! Muahahaha! alright. 

Notes: I'm not quite satisfied with the chapter, but I'm posting it nevertheless. Feedback would be greatly appreciated. 

****

Chapter Two 

Black around red. Black around red. Thanatos was black around red. 

The hapless servant of Olympus cowered as Thanatos began to calmly, ever so calmly, circle around him. He quivered, eyes following Thanatos's body, but never moving any other muscle. 

Thanatos's black around red eyes filled his vision, piercing his mind and body. 

"Did I not tell you to keep track of Shinigami?" asked Thanatos, voice low and casual. 

The servant, terrified, didn't want to move, as though that would make him even more conspicuous. 

"Didn't I?" The voice dropped in volume, yet increased threefold in intensity, making the very air seem to tremble. 

The head bobbed a tiny fraction of an inch, hardly visible. 

"Did I not tell you to keep track of Shinigami?" shouted Thanatos, his voice echoing through his mind and seeming to magnify its disgust. 

The servant threw himself on the floor, body prostate, as he began to babble apologies and telling him he would always do as he said. 

The knock on the heavy wooden door of the room made no difference to the servant lying on the floor. Thanatos slowly turned his head to pierce the interrupter with his gaze, only to find it his sister, Nemesis, the goddess of Retribution. 

She casually waved an arm, saying lazily, "Shinigami's on his way." Then turned to exit once again. 

Thanatos's eyes widened imperceptibly, then he was a blur of motion as he held his sister's neck to the stone wall. 

"What?" he queried, voice low and controlled. 

She grinned, cupids bow lips stretching to reveal white, even teeth, then removed his hands and walked away. 

Pausing midstep, she glanced backwards and said carelessly, "I'll probably benefit from it, too."

When her figure turned the corner, Thanatos faced the servant and with a dismissive gesture told him to get lost. 

After the servant scrabbled for the door, he began to pace. 

Nemesis had said that she would benefit, meaning there would be some sort of dealing with retribution or vengeance. 

It really made no difference to Thanatos that she would become stronger from their energy. He had been born with his immense power and still, every day, received more. Death was a power source, much stronger and more potent than retaliation ever would be. 

But then again, vengeance was, in its own way, intoxicating. 

Thanatos grinned, thinking of his brother Shinigami. 

Yes, revenge was sweet. 

Heero sat in his room, staring out the window. The bright flashes of lightning illuminated the dark room occasionally, casting sharp shadows across the floor. 

_Is he ready?_ The question echoed through his mind. _Is he ready?_ Heero's unblinking steel blue eyes seemed to be looking at some far off land that only he could see. _Can he face Thanatos alone? Is he capable of using his dormant power? The very power that he thrust behind him to escape it all? Will he be able to accept the responsibilities if he wins? _Blue eyes appeared to haze over, looking within himself. _What if he— No. He won't. He won't lose. He _can't._ He will _no_t lose. _Heero thought savagely. _He is too strong for that. He _cannot _lose. _

The sharp rapping on the door did not faze the teenager. Serenely, he stood and opened the door. A rectangle of light was thrown onto the floor, with the silhouettes of two people talking. Their voices were soft and muffled. Had anyone even heard them, the words were in some unknown tongue, the language dead to all but the rare few. 

After a few minutes, the door shut, and Heero retreated back to his window seat, mouth set in a grim line. 

__

_Duo. _

As a stark contrast to the heavy silence in Heero's dormitory, it seemed as though Mt. Olympus had been overcome by a tornado of excitement. Gods and goddesses alike gossiped together in corners of the Great Hall. 

The name on everyone's tongue: Shinigami. 

Shinigami: to some, it was a curse, the foretelling of their weakening blood and doom. "He is the Repeat Child," hissed Momos*. "There is a reason he is the god of Death. It is what he will bring upon all of us!" 

To that, Infatuation replied airily, "You always say that about everyone. I think he's rather dreamy. Look at those beautiful violet eyes of his. And that hair— magnificent." She tilted the Skrying Glass towards her for better access to the viewing of said person. "Oh, and that build! He's so slender and handsome. Why, if he wasn't my half-brother, I would pursue him immediately. Even if he _was_ my brother, I would have such thoughts... Mmm..." She continued to stare at the image, eyelashes fluttering at him. 

"You forget, dear sister," Horkos reminded, grabbing the Glass so he could see, "he had an oath to serve among us. As the Repeat Child, he had an obligation to battle our Thanatos. There would be no way for both of them to survive as gods of the same position. He shirked his responsibilities by running away." 

"You and your continuous babble of obligations and responsibilities, brother." Infatuation sighed dramatically. "One would imagine you being the god of the Oath." 

Lethe, god of Forgetfulness, ambled up, saying, "Wait a minute. Horkos, weren't you the god of the Oath? Doesn't 'horkos' literally translate to 'oath'? No, wait. Hold on." He paused, deep in thought. "What were we talking about again?" 

"Yes, Lethe. I am Oath." explained Horkos, as he had those many times before. 

"Oh. Didn't you just say you weren't?" 

The gods ignored him from then on, leaving him confused and bewildered. 

"What?" The diminutive god looked around. "Did I say something? No I didn't. Wait, did I?" He walked away, mumbling to himself.**

*In my Handbook of Greek Mythology (by H.J. Rose), it says "Momos [is a] personification of fault-finding, who occurs in fables and the like as a sort of licensed grumbler, objecting to everything that the gods do, in a manner reminiscent of the Accuser in the Book of Job"... I thought it fit rather well. But this is just a small note. I'm not sure if Momos will appear again. Maybe ::shrug::

General notes for Chapter Two: Lethe reminds me a lot of this guy I know, Andrew E. He also reminds me of me. -_-;;;... And about Infatuation and Shinigami, I'm assuming that incest really isn't that big a deal to these gods/esses. Fear not for most of you, I don't plan on writing sibling/sibling relationships, that's just kinda squicky. X.X. That section was there to [hopefully] get a feel of Mt. Olympus and the habitants of. Greek gods and goddesses are really like humans, scandals and affairs being the least of their concerns. Not to mention, I found it kind of fun. ^______^ 


End file.
